Halo 3 due this autumn

Just in case you were in any doubt, Bungie released a handsome teaser image for the game (look down and left) as part of its weekly website update. Having introduced it without much fanfare, the developer notes, "it does contain ONE very important piece of information. Cough." Those little minxes.

The team also moved to clarify details about the Halo 3 beta. With Crackdown due out in the US this Tuesday, and home to a beta invitation, some gamers had leapt to the conclusion that they would be able to play Halo 3's multiplayer beta pretty much instantly. Not so. "Crackdown will be available in stores starting Tuesday, 2/20, but the Halo 3 multiplayer beta start date is still being finalised. We're still aiming for a spring release, but it could be more like late spring," the developer notes.

Last week saw confirmation that Crackdown owners would need to keep the disc in the drive to play the Halo 3 beta - a detailed echoed in the latest Bungie update. Still, judging by how much we're still enjoying the game, that's probably something you'll naturally be doing anyway. Crackdown is due out in Europe this Friday, 23rd February.

Anyway, for more from Bungie, including wallpaper-sized versions of that Halo 3 teaser, be sure to check the latest website update.